Kinetic San Francisco by Scott Weaver: 35 Years & 100,000 Toothpicks

Scott Weaver has spent the last 35 years (on and off) on his ‘Rolling Through the Bay’ masterpiece. A kinetic art sculpture of the beautiful city of San Francisco. Using more than 100,000 toothpicks, Scott meticulously recreates all of the famous landmarks and destinations.

Why spend so much time on something some deem trivial? Because it’s art, it’s his passion and that’s all that matters. Enjoy!

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ROLLING THROUGH THE BAY BY SCOTT WEAVER

‘Rolling Through the Bay’ is 9 feet tall (2.7m), 7 feet wide (2.1m) and 30 inches deep (0.76m). The sculpture features four ping pong ball paths that roll through different landmarks of San Francisco. Scott estimates the project has taken over 3,000 hours and he only uses one brand of glue, Elmer’s.

The toothpicks vary depending on the intricacy of the particular building/section. They come from all over the world, given to Scott by friends and family.

To really get an idea of the awesomeness of this sculpture, check out this guided tour of San Francisco by Scott himself!

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WHAT IS KINETIC ART?

Kinetic art is art that contains moving parts or depends on motion for its effect. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor, or the observer. Kinetic art is broad term that encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles. Kinetic sculptures are examples of kinetic art in the form of sculpture or three dimensions. In common with other types of kinetic art, kinetic sculptures have parts that move or that are in motion. [Source: Wikipedia]

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SCOTT WEAVER – ARTIST’S BIO

My family lived in San Francisco for 3 generations. My great-grandfather had a winery in the 1880’s at Montgomery and Jackson St, about a block from where the Transamerica pyramid is located. My grandparents had a house at 518
12th Ave, between Anza and Balboa. My mom and dad had a house on Quintera, then moved to Marin, where I was born.
I started building toothpick sculptures in 1968, when I was 8 years old.

My early structures were abstract and about 2 – 4 feet tall. I built one sculpture that had a ping-pong ball roll through it. In 1974 I started a new sculpture and added the Golden Gate Bridge and Lombard Street, that also had a ping-pong ball roll through it. This is what started what is now Rolling Through the Bay. Over the years I have worked on Rolling Through the Bay, on-and-off, sometimes not working on it for years at-a-time, to do other projects and get married to my beautiful wife, Rochelle, and have a wonderful son, Tyler. I love working with toothpicks and hope to do so for years to come. [Source: Rollingthroughthebay.com]